Show Don't Tell
by SorryImLate
Summary: Iruka revealed too many emotions for Kakashi’s liking, a foolish, naïve trait that predicted a Shinobi’s fate from the beginning. He looked like a phony, dressed in the shell of a true Shinobi. Dark!Kakashi
1. Chapter 1

The gentle tap against the door interrupted Kakashi's words. Sarutobi held up a single hand, signalling for him to pause as he called out the permission needed for the person to enter. As the door opened the ANBU turned to steal a gaze of the intruder, his mismatched eyes narrowing down to the stranger Shinobi standing in the doorway. As his figure was noticed a strained pair of chocolate eyes averted his way and grew wider at the true assumption.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Hokage-sama," The young, tanned Chuunin spoke out in a softer voice than Kakashi had expected. "ANBU-san…" He offered a small bow to his superiors. Kakashi could see the hesitance in his eyes, not knowing whether to quickly exit and wait outside, but the Hokage cleared his dilemma.

"That's quite alright, Iruka-sensei." Sarutobi spoke in a calm, caring voice towards the younger man, a tone the ANBU rarely heard from the old man directed to an adult. "Is there a problem?"

Hearing his question, 'Iruka' let out a deep, stressed sigh. "It's Naruto-kun. He's gone off by himself again and I've ran out of places to look."

Sarutobi chuckled, and the ANBU sensed the sharp glare threatening to cross the Chuunin's eyes. "I've already warned you about this, Iruka, the first day is the most challenging. Kids will be kids, especially on a teacher's first day."

A silver eyebrow twitched, observing the way the Hokage had quickly scraped off –sensei. It seemed this Chuunin was more than just a work-related acquaintance to the old man. His mismatched eyes glanced back to the younger man, taking in the words exchanged from one to the other. He wasn't surprised he hadn't seen this Chuunin before; 'Iruka' certainly had a distinguishing look, one that would take some time to dissolve from a person's memory. The scar that trailed along the man's nose stood out predominantly against his dark skin, and the ANBU observantly noticed the way the rough tissue wrinkled within every face expression he made.

He was almost amused by the naivety this Chuunin possessed. Such innocence was rarely found in this world though Kakashi sensed the frustration in the man's lack of confidence. The way a person used their voices, expressions and posture told a lot about their inner feelings, unless masked skilfully by someone who valued their feelings too much to have them exploited. It was as though this Chuunin hadn't a care in the world, as he rushed into his superior's office to throw his troubles onto the desk.

He observed how those brown eyes occasionally stole uncomfortable glances of him, though the ANBU couldn't be sure whether the Chuunin was awkward at the incomplete disturbance or cautious of the two dark holes gazing intently in his direction. The man revealed too many emotions for Kakashi's liking, a foolish, naïve trait that predicted a Shinobi's fate from the beginning. The idea of this man remaining as a mere school teacher could have been convincing if it wasn't for the noble uniform that hung from his body. He looked like a phony, dressed in the shell of a true Shinobi.

Hearing his unique ANBU ID name called he turned his head slightly to his superior's direction, but his eyes remained on the almost flushed, tanned Chuunin.

"While you're waiting for your assigned partner to return could you please give Iruka a hand in his search?" Sarutobi asked with a hint of amusement, much to the Chuunin's disapproval of the hilarity.

The ANBU nodded in agreement at his Hokage's order, though the quality of the favour was insulting. He was a member of the ANBU Black Ops, not a babysitter. The Chuunin offered him a small smile to show his appreciation, but the embarrassment was marked in his face, evident from the small patches of crimson that had risen to the skin of his cheeks and nose.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto, he's seven years old and has short blond hair." The Hokage helpfully informed and the ANBU nodded again, lifting a gloved hand towards the door, signalling for the Chuunin to lead the way.

"Thank you, ANBU-san." Iruka expressed with another small bow of respect before he turned and exited out of the door. Kakashi walked on after him, falling into step with the Chuunin but he remained behind the other. His mismatched eyes picked up on the graceful strides the younger man made, hips turning slightly as each leg moved forward, yet there was no confidence detected in his walk, especially with those shoulders stooped so low they we almost touching the floor. He looked vulnerable, an easy target, not a tool for the village.

As they stepped outside he lifted a hand towards the Chuunin, and then quickly shaped two fingers into a V, signalling the man to wait there and give him two minutes. 'Iruka' nodded dumbly at the abrupt, silent communication, and shifted his weight onto both legs. Kakashi focussed chakra to his feet and in the blink of an eye he was gone, throwing himself around the village in search of a flash of orange. He inspected the least obvious hiding places first; less familiar than the Chuunin with the places a mere child would choose to hide. When he'd ran out of ideas, he began to search through the more obvious places, and stopped when he found the description of what he was looking for; a small child with blond hair, prompted up onto a high stall and slurping down his third bowl of ramen while making nonsense chit-chat to the stall owner. The ANBU had no time to announce his presence; he still had a mission assignment waiting for him back at the Hokage's office, and so he swooped the previous happily yapping to terrified screaming blond into the crook of his arm and offered the owner a small wave, before he disappeared.

He reappeared before the wide eyed Chuunin again, holding the hysterical child by the waist. He dropped the blond onto the floor, who let out a yelp before he looked up at his unimpressed sensei.

"Back to the academy." Iruka demanded. "Now."

The blond offered him a challenging glare. "You can't tell me what to do!" He shouted, just as unimpressed with his new teacher.

Kakashi studied the confrontation behind his mask, curious to see exactly how the fragile Chuunin would handle the situation. He could see the hesitation in Iruka's eyes; the Chuunin was almost intimidated by the child. For his first day, this man was not setting a good impression on himself. He was surprised to see those brown eyes steal a glance of him and the lids tensed slightly into a small glare. It seemed this 'Naruto' wasn't the only one who was intimidating him, but what will he do now?

In a swift movement the Chuunin performed a series of hand signs, marking the finger points confidently right. The ANBU could see it in his eyes; he'd had enough. There was a small pop and a cloud of smoke covered the gasping child. It gradually disappeared and Naruto could only stare in horror as he found himself wearing a bright, bubble gum pink dress with pretty daisies decorated over it. Kakashi's eyes widened at the unexpected jutsu. The boy screamed and turned an unnatural shade of red, demanding his new sensei to change him back.

"I'll go back to the academy!" The boy bargained, and with a small smirk the Chuunin released the jutsu, replacing the dress with the original orange clothes.

There was a gust of wind as the young boy ran away from them, heading in the direction of the academy. The ANBU's mismatched eyes glanced back to Iruka, noticing the childish, proud smirk still curled along his lips. The Chuunin turned his gaze back to him and his smirk faded into a soft smile.

"Thank you, ANBU-san, for helping me." He said, as he offered his superior another bow of respect. "I'll be carrying on with my lesson now. Please inform the Hokage that everything is now taken care of."

Kakashi licked his lips behind his mask but closed his mouth again. He gave the Chuunin a thumbs up, and then spread out his hand again, signalling a wave. A small smirk slipped past Iruka's lips but he was barely noticeable. He mirrored the ANBU's wave before turning and walking back towards the academy.

Kakashi remained standing in the same patch of grass he'd appeared in, his mismatched eyes gazing intently at the fading silhouette.

The scarred face remained solid in his mind.

There was something peculiar about that Chuunin.


	2. Chapter 2

The two ANBU members walked elegantly through the gates, each man gazing at their surroundings and taking in the fresh air. It felt good to be home again, Kakashi thought. Two days of sleeping on the hard soil and crispy leaves in the middle of no where had influenced his desire for a hot bath and perhaps, a sly nap. He was never one to complain about staying away from the village for long, but the infamous Copy Ninja had felt a strange yearn to get back as quickly as possible since the day he'd set off. He'd developed his own private, little mission over the past few days to feed the burning curiosity that had been lingering in the back of his mind.

Him.

His mismatched eyes gazed through the dark holes of his mask when he felt the familiar chakra signature. The tanned Chuunin sat at the ramen stall slurping on what looked like, from the number of stacked bowls, his third helping. Next to the younger man were two more Chuunin levelled ninjas, all sharing irrelevant chit-chat and warm laughter. Kakashi didn't know them by name, but he'd recognized them on many occasions when passing through the village gates.

It was typical, Kakashi thought, that the Chuunins would mix together like that. Like a pack of hyenas, too timid to stand alone, and foolish enough to rely on their 'pack' to support them. As much as the Copy Ninja completely supported the importance of teamwork, he was also a strong believer that each Shinobi must also be prepared to stand alone. Human frames only got us so far.

His tight eyes flickered back as quickly as they'd come, averting to his road where he walked with the anonymous partner he'd been assigned with. He recognized the ANBU by the smeared patterned mask, specified fighting styles and code name, but beyond that, Kakashi hadn't a clue what memories and experiences burdened the man, as did the other with Kakashi.

They turned into the pathway of the Hokage tower to hand in their prized scroll, before both nameless partners parted their ways with a single signalled wave.

As the door creaked open the Copy Ninja stepped into the dark room of his apartment, stealing a scanning glance of his surroundings before he lifted his patterned mask and placed it into his top drawer. He slipped off his arm pads and black gloves, folding them neatly on top of the drawer set. He walked through the dark room and turned the corner, lifting a hand towards the long string dangling from the ceiling. With a small click the light turned on, and those tired, mismatched eyes looked up to the bathroom mirror that faced him in the doorway.

The underline stains below his eyes seemed deeper than before, tracing down the tops of his cheeks and tucking into the skin to reveal the ugly bags. From the distance between himself and the mirror he could see the small black dots that crawled along the fine strands of hair, the consequence of spending too much time laying in the soil to get some rest. Lifting a pale, scratched arm he tugged at the small twig trapped between the silver locks, dropping it into the bin. He sighed tiredly and turned to the shower, stripping off his grimy, damp uniform.

As he stepped under the hot water he couldn't help but gasp, feeling his strained muscles relax under the soothing spray. Tilting his head forwards slightly he blinked tiredly at the brown water that trickled from his hair, forcing the crawling bugs through the stream and into the plug hole. He grabbed for the shampoo, squeezing the bottle into his hand and smothering it through his greasy strands. With another rinse the hidden, hard to get soil fell from his hair and into the plug, the dirty locks turning his usual light colour again.

After a long process of washing the dirt from his skin Kakashi stepped out of the shower, flicking his hair back in frustration to remove the thick locks from his eyes. He padded out of the bathroom and back into the main part of his home, searching through the dark for some sort of towelling device.

He dressed into a pair of casual dark jeans and a black vest that stretched out into a mask to cover the bottom half of his face, a thin eye patch tied comfortably over his Sharingan. Once dressed, he searched through the dim light inside the fridge for something to eat, only to curse when he was greeted by expiry dates. His eye squinted as he gazed over to the curtains that squeezed the thin line of evening sun through them.

Zipping up a long, thin black coat, Kakashi walked through the evening village, his feet guiding him along the side of the pathway as the citizens walked by. The light inside the ramen stand was light brightly, signalling the welcome. Kakashi paused for a moment, listening carefully from the distance. As he stepped further towards Ichiraku's he noticed the flicker of green from between the thin banners above the ceiling. A small sigh of frustration escaped his lips; they were still there.

Despite his disappointment something swirled inside of him and he continued his approach, skilfully focusing his chakra into almost non-existence. The chatter and small rounds of laughter became louder as the Copy Ninja stepped into the small room, quickly taking a seat on the far end by the wall. His visible eye slyly slid across to steal a small glance of the tanned Chuunin, though he hid his frown well when a small, chocolate ponytail faced him, the younger man distracted by his two Chuunin friends.

Kakashi's thoughts drowned out their voices, and he finally came to a decision. Parting his lips, he spoke in a deep, yet soft voice. "Excuse me?" He said in a casual tone.

The brunette turned to him with friendly, questioning brow. As their eyes locked, Kakashi's breath caught in his throat, before his eye narrowed down to the younger man's chin and he let out a small smirk, tapping a pale finger on his own. The brunette blinked with wide eyes before he caught on with an embarrassed 'oh', and quickly wiped the lonely noodle off his chin.

Kakashi's eye looked away. "Could you…" He murmured quietly as he pointed over to the small box placed in the centre of the stand containing the chopsticks.

"Oh, sorry!" Iruka smiled warmly as he grabbed for the box and handed it over to the older male. Kakashi nodded softly in appreciation as he took the box and picked out a thin pair of chopsticks. When his eye lifted back to the Chuunin he wasn't too surprised to see the man's back turned to him again.

"Why didn't you tell me I had something on my face?!" He heard Iruka hiss quietly to his laughing comrades.

The Copy Ninja turned back to face the counter to order his meal, listening distantly to the three Chuunins talking amongst themselves. Although he should be relieved that the Chuunin didn't recognize him, it was still somewhat frustrating; it made the atmosphere more awkward.

The sudden, different kind of confidence didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi. It was as though he was talking to a different person from the shy, nervous, virgin-looking Chuunin he'd met two days ago. This 'Iruka' seemed to fit right in, almost like he was the star of the show. There wasn't a single stutter in his voice, no sign of intimidation from the higher rank that sat to his right. Kakashi's eye tightened, fixed on the half empty bowl of beef ramen under his nose. This was… irritating. If he was going to complete this mission, he needed to put more effort into it. With new determination he opened his mouth and turned back to the Chuunin, but his eye widened to see the three younger men stand from their stools and collect their belongings. He watched from the corner of his eye as the money was passed over the counter by a smooth looking, cameral arm, and to his surprise, the Chuunin gave him a small glance of eye contact and offered the stranger a friendly wave.

Before Kakashi could react, the three of them exited the ramen stall, talking amongst themselves on what they were going to do with the rest of their night. Kakashi watched as their shadowed silhouettes' gradually faded, and disappeared into the crowd.

A small, silent sigh escaped the Copy Ninja's lips as he turned back to his food, a strange, numb feeling rising in his stomach.

_Hyenas_. He grimaced weakly, feeling the sudden cold air breeze against him from the empty row of stools.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N; Hellooo ^^ it's me again! Sorry it's been so long... life is busy! Anyway, thanks for reviews, and I hope you enjoy ^^;

Kakashi watched the two chuunin's heads turn his way, as he entered the village gates with an unconscious, foreign ninja slumped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Izumo and Kotetsu blinked in sync, as the ANBU marched past their guarding post, and slowly turned his gaze towards them. A single eye stared through the hole in the porcelain mask, powerfully observant of the two males, the other eye hidden in darkness. Through his stare, Kakashi could see a shiver crawl its way along Izumo's spine, as the chuunin meekly lowered his head in the smallest of bows. He could sense their interest in the ANBU, as many rarely revealed themselves so openly in the village, rendering the elite rank as a more mysterious status compared to the others. Kakashi was not at all used to wandering through the village in this specific uniform; however, having recently come across that certain chuunin-sensei at the academy, he was not wasting any time in his investigating. Investigating exactly what, Kakashi was not yet entirely sure.

There was something peculiar about the chuunin, whose name the ANBU had slyly investigated through a work-shift rota on the mission room wall to restore inside his memory. Iruka. It rolled of his tongue nicely, and while the ANBU could not comprehend why someone would choose such a name for their child, he decided that it suited the chuunin. The man's face was still clear in his mind, though one expression stood out so vividly; that smile the chuunin had given him just before he'd taken off with the two ninja back at the gates. That image had followed him home and lingered throughout the night, eliciting a strange swirling motion in his stomach whenever he gave it his entire focus. He felt as though he were a moth to the flame, unable to tear his thoughts away from it. He needed to see him again.

He delivered the unconscious rogue shinobi to the interrogation unit, and scribbled out a hasty report to satisfy his superior before returning to his quest. Reaching the academy, the ANBU stalked the windows around the building at a small distance, two mismatched eyes shifting from one empty room to another for any sign of life, yet he came across none. He stopped in his tracks, silver brows knitting behind his mask as he glanced up at the sun with squinted eyes, examining its position. It was well into the afternoon, and by the looks of things, school was finished for the day.

"Fuck." a breathy hiss left his covered lips, as he scanned his quiet surroundings.

Turning, he made his way back across the grass and to the front of the academy, searching for an idea on where the chuunin could be. While listening to the gentle wind, he considered returning to his apartment to change back into civilian clothes. Perhaps he could ask someone where the chuunin might be... though, for now Kakashi sensed it too bold a move. He needed to be careful, having recently realised that his civilian portrayal could come to a better use later...

His eye flickered to the left, towards the direction of the ramen stand where they had shared their first exchange of words. Taking in a sharp breath, he followed along that pathway, merely wanting to see whether or not the chuunin was indeed there, and if he was, he would decide on what to do from there.

A heavy sense of disappointment greeted him at the ramen stand, as he slyly readjusted the long sheet hanging from its entrance frame. He inched back against the outer wall, watching the villagers walk by. He was too late. The chuunin was probably home now, and Kakashi had no idea where that home was.

Sighing, he decided to call it a day and find something else to do with his remaining free time; the memorial stone - he still had to inform Obito about his new friend...

He turned and walked back through the village, ignoring the long stares of wonder that followed every ANBU, more concerned with his developing plan to obtain some information on where the chuunin may live...

The empty feeling of disappointment followed him from the ramen stand, educing his frustration as he found himself once again questioning his own intentions. Why he was continuing his searching through the crowd of villagers passing by for this particular person was something he could not quite grasp himself. He did not, in the slightest of ways approve of anything this academy sensei stood for, or represented in himself; he looked like the typical kind of individual who had spotted his job occupation on a flyer stapled to the wall – what an earth was Sandaime thinking when accepting Iruka's application? The chuunin couldn't even track down a seven year old child.

It seemed like a game for Iruka, who Kakashi predicted had shared plenty of jokes amongst his band of chums when scribbling out their application forms for the chuunin rank. It was so typical that he would follow the lead of the two chuunin at the gates - sticking together like a pack of hyenas, and never once standing alone like a _real _shinobi. It made Kakashi sick to think that the new generation was being poisoned in the academy by such a faux example of a shinobi. He hated everything Iruka let himself be, and yet, still, he searched.

Something caught his attention at the corner of his eye, a sight in the distance that had his heart flaring with a mixture of sensations he could not separate and examine at once. Stopping dead in his tracks, Kakashi's surroundings shifted into nothing but white noise, as he participated in a long and awkward staring contest with the chuunin he had been hunting. From the multiple blinks and look of astonishment in Iruka's eyes, it seemed the chuunin recognized the pattern on the ANBU's mask, and he gave Kakashi an extremely delicate smile.

Kakashi's focus turned to the man's intriguing choice of civilian clothing, quickly assuming the chuunin had already finished his shifts and gone home to change. He studied the long black coat hanging from the man's shoulders, which barely reached his thighs over his dark bottoms. His hair looked different; his pony-tail hanging extremely lower than usual, with various stray strands hanging down the sides of his face. He was holding a large paper bag in the crook of his elbow, filled with contents that Kakashi had yet to see.

Iruka's eyes shifted away from his direction, dark brows knitting uneasily at the awkward stare, though Kakashi quickly noticed the faint blush rising around the dead skin in the bridge of his nose. After one last glance, the chuunin's smile returned, and he approached the ANBU. Kakashi quickly readjusted his hood, tucking away any stray strands of silver to keep up his anonymous appearance.

"We must stop meeting like this..." Iruka chuckled weakly, before a small frown crossed his brows. "You _are_ the same ANBU I met the other day... right?"

Kakashi blinked. His hands felt incredibly still inside his gloves, fingertips twitching in attempt to revive the channel connecting them to his brain. Every word spinning in his mind suddenly fled, leaving him in a lifeless, blank daze. He slowly nodded his head, watching the chuunin suppress his squirming at the uncomfortable atmosphere.

After stealing another glance of their surroundings, Iruka's attention then turned to the paper bag in his arm and, inhaling a sharp breath, he buried a hand inside it.

"I bought oranges," he announced, lifting up what was indeed an orange in his hand.

"I never used to like them as a kid, but these days, I can't seem to get enough of them." His smile grew brighter, eyes crinkling softly, and demonstrating the same image that Kakashi had been trying to chase from his thoughts.

Returning the orange to his bag, Iruka sheepishly looked away and traced a single digit along the bridge of his nose. "I don't know why I'm telling you this..." he mumbled with a quiet laugh.

This was not the chuunin Kakashi had witnessed the other night at the ramen stand, but the shy, virgin-looking individual who had stormed into a private meeting unannounced to throw his problems onto the Hokage's lap. He looked intimidated by the ANBU's mere presence, though why is was still standing here was a mystery to Kakashi, who was struggling to decide if it was merely an act of politeness, or whether Iruka held the same form of fascination most possessed towards the rare appearance of this particular rank. Evidently, the chuunin was not aware that he was speaking to the same male who had sat beside him at the ramen stand, a belief that both relieved and frustrated Kakashi, as he had so boldly revealed himself in hopes of receiving some form of achievement. What a waste.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Iruka said quietly, biting his lip.

The soft crunch in Kakashi's throat was loud enough to reach the chuunin's ears as he swallowed thickly. What was his strategy again? Why was he here? He could not comprehend what he thought he might gain in this meeting, when he could not participate in conversation with the man. His civilian appearance seemed the safer approach, yet so far had not given the same results; the chuunin was clearly more interested in his existence when he appeared in this specific role, and yet there was only a certain extent of exposure he could push his plan to like this.

Iruka's attention seemed to turn past Kakashi's shoulder, his brown eyes widening briefly at what looked like recognition of something. He was losing him. Kakashi licked his dry lips, and took in a sharp breath.

"Hello..." he quietly croaked.

Iruka blinked back to him in astonishment, before offering the ANBU a warm smile. "Um... Well, I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me with my student... I really appreciate it,"

Kakashi's eyes widened when the chuunin suddenly gave a small bow.

"I'm sorry, but I must go now... Thank you again!" And with that, the chuunin took off; running straight past him towards the ramen stand, bag of oranges kept steady in his arms.

Kakashi turned, following the man with his eyes, and quickly noticed the other two chuunin from earlier disappearing inside the small restaurant.

"Don't you _dare_ order without me!" Iruka's shout was quiet from his distance.

Frowning, Kakashi took a couple of steps closer to the ramen stand, and cocked his head slightly to find the correct angle between the sheets hanging from the entrance frame. He could see Iruka inside the stand, sat on the stool near the wall.

"Who were you talking to?" a voice asked inside.

"Oh, he helped me find Naruto-kun," That voice was definitely Iruka's. "Remember, the one I told you about? I've had to stick seals in the windows to stop him jumping out of them..."

Clever plan, Kakashi thought, though a little discipline would probably be more effective...

"Where's Mizuki?" Iruka's voice again...

"He's delivering some notes to the Hokage. He'll be here in a minute."

Kakashi watched the scene before him, unable to believe what he was seeing. It was as though he was watching a film of some sort; friends having dinner together, sharing conversation. It was completely surreal, bizarre, yet... intriguing. Once again, he found himself lost in his surroundings, his attention solely on the scene playing out before him between the small gaps of the sheets.

"You'll never guess what Izumo did earlier!" Kotetsu leaned into the other chuunin, 'Izumo.' "Remember, _Izumo?_ On the _stairs_?"

"Shut up!" Izumo snapped, hunching over the long table in what looked like embarrassment.

"Tell me!" Iruka laughed.

"_Well,_" the other chuunin began.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed to the ground beneath his feet, listening to any words he could pick out from the story this chuunin was telling, though from his distance, it was almost impossible. He glanced back inside the ramen stand, staring numbly at the empty space beside Iruka, every corner of his vision a dull blur. A figure appeared in his sight, taking the empty seat beside Iruka, and leaning in to whisper in the man's ear. The chuunin laughed softly, turning to the silver-haired male beside him to nod in approval at his joke. That warm, swirling motion returned in Kakashi's stomach, as he watched the scene before him, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lips beneath his mask.

A drop of rain splashed against his mask, and he blinked, snapping out of his day dream. Gazing up at the sky, he saw the offending grey cloud above them, as it began to spill. A soft breeze stroked across his arm, and he shivered, turning to the direction of his home. He took one last glance of the ramen stand, as though checking the chuunin were still there, before teleporting away.

He reappeared outside his home, quickly disarming his traps, and staggering inside while pulling off his hooded coat and uniform accessories. Stripping down to his boxers, the ANBU then rushed through the drawers for a set of civilian clothes, and wasted no time in climbing into them.

If he was going to reveal himself with this appearance again, he needed to make some form of accomplishment. He planned out his strategy in his mind, while briskly wriggling into some bottoms, determined to pluck some conversation from the chuunin – maybe even exchange names for future reference. He needed to be fast, before they left again without giving him the chance to make contact. If he succeeded enough, maybe he could go with them...

Grabbing some spare change from the side table, he then left his apartment, leaping down from the root top and hitting the ground running. He turned the corner, heading towards the ramen stand, where he saw the bright lights glowing inside the small restaurant in the distance. He slowed down his pace, now walking towards the stand, and trying his hardest to catch a glimpse through the gaps to make sure they were still there. He stopped in his tracks when he saw them, a strange tingling sensation fluttering in his stomach as he adjusted his eye patch, and took a sharp breath to prepare himself.

He slowly walked closer, planning his greeting for the other. Palms sweaty, he buried his hands into his pockets, and tried to calm his racing heart with a few more deep breaths. He could do this...

He stopped again in his tracks when the long white sheet suddenly shifted in the entrance, and a familiar chuunin, Izumo walked out into the open path. Breath caught in his throat, Kakashi took a step back, utter disappointment filling inside of him when he saw the next chuunin walk out of the stand, proving he was too late; then came Iruka, holding that same smile Kakashi had seen earlier, and laughing in seeming joy as he tugged the arm of another male, guiding him out of the small restaurant. Kakashi's chest turned excessively tight as he studied the other male; he was tall, confident looking, and possessed the same colour hair as Kakashi himself. Possibly the other friend Kakashi had overheard them mentioning earlier... Mizuki, or something.

He did not move, but _stared_, as the two chuunin then leaned in for a kiss, Iruka's eyes softly closed, and his lips tugged into the warmest of smiles. And with that, the chuunin took the silver haired man's hand, and ran to catch up with the others.

Kakashi moved his blank gaze to the ground, lost in a feeling of numbness, as he replayed the memory in his mind. The cold breeze stroked across his thin layers of clothing.

He should have seen that coming. He could not comprehend how he had not.


End file.
